


Afflicted

by SharkGirl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (sort of), Caretaking, Cat Ears, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Kissing, M/M, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Mouth-to-Mouth, Sickfic, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 21:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17373659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: It had been ages since Pike had let himself get sick. He was always one step ahead, nicking potions off of other travelers to keep himself in prime condition. But one too many chilly nights in the pouring rain without proper lodging had done him in.Or Gyro takes care of a sick Pike.





	Afflicted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GeekMom13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeekMom13/gifts).



> Hey, hey, hey~ I'm back with more Pike and Gyro!!  
> I actually have another fic about them (just over 10k) that I'm so excited to post~ But I'm not allowed to yet, so I went ahead and wrote this, haha. (The other one is nsfw, jsyk)
> 
> But please enjoy this little sickfic, requested by @GeekMom13 and beta'd by the fabulous Jes~

Pike could have kicked himself. And, honestly, given how sore his entire being was, it felt like he had.

It had been ages since he’d let himself get sick. He was always one step ahead, nicking potions off of other travelers to keep himself in prime condition. But one too many chilly nights in the pouring rain without proper lodging had done him in.

Pike paused as he landed on the branch of the next tree, bracing himself on its trunk as he sneezed. And, oh wow, did that ever hurt. Every part of his body tensed, sending pain reverberating through him from the points of his ears to the tip of his tail. Was it possible for eyelashes to hurt?

He dropped down into a crouch, wincing as his muscles screamed in protest. Or was it his skin? It was so hard to tell. And now that he was leaning fully against the bark of the large tree, he suddenly realized just how tired he was.

“Weak,” he corrected with a croak.

Ugh, even his voice sounded awful.

But Pike didn’t have time to laze about in the treetops sunning himself – though, that sounded nice… Or, it would have, if his lungs didn’t burn with every breath – He had a job to do. While the others were out collecting silk produced by elusive giant worms for some town he’d never heard of, Pike was tasked with finding their next meal.

An easy job for someone with his skillset. Or, at least, it should have been. But Pike’s normally incomparably sharp hearing was dulled, his head feeling as though it was stuffed full of cotton. He tried to stand back up, but his joints ached, so he let his head come to rest against the tree, its bark rough on his cheek.

Pike groaned. He should have taken Gyro up on his offer of a borrowed cloak the night it nearly started sleeting. But he’d been too proud. And now he was suffering for it.

Though, if Pike really thought about it, this was all kind of Gyro’s fault.

Yeah. Gyro had been the one to accept his declination. He should have tried harder. Offered a third time. Pushed until—

Pike closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that the entire forest just spun, the individual leaves on the trees joining together to form a great, green blur.

Man, he needed to get back on the ground. Whatever it was that he had, it was getting worse. And the last thing he needed was to fall hundreds of feet to his death. So, placing a now-shaky hand on the tree – just _great_ – he pushed himself back up.

“Okay, Pikey, just leap to the next branch.” Oh, and apparently he was talking to himself now. No big deal. Not worrisome or anything. “Just…” But Pike’s vision blurred again and when he tried to focus, there were two tree limbs where there’d been only one. “…okay…”

Pike closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose. All of his senses were failing him, it seemed. But he didn’t need to smell the tree – He opened his eyes – He just needed to make it to the right branch.

And didn’t cats always land on their feet?

Pike readied himself, drawing his ears back and shifting his weight from foot to foot. And then, with calculated movement, he leapt from the tree… And completely missed the next one.

He was falling. And falling. And wow, if he thought the world was spinning before…

Then everything went dark.

 

Gyro knew they shouldn’t have let Pike go off on his own.

It wasn’t like the thief couldn’t take care of himself. But something had seemed off. He hadn’t been his usual, boisterous self. In fact, he’d seemed subdued.

And, apparently, Gyro had voiced his concerns one time too many, because he now found himself walking back toward their most recent campsite, his teammates having unanimously decided that they could handle the quest on their own and that he should assist Pike in procuring their next meal.

Gyro wasn’t surprised when he didn’t find Pike there waiting for him. He’d gone off in the other direction, after all, hoping to find something a bit more substantial for them to eat. Not that the smaller animals weren’t fun for him to chase – or, at least, Gyro thought Pike looked as though he was having fun.

He shook his head, pulling himself out of the memory of Pike pouncing on a fat little field mouse before releasing it to join its friends.

He needed to focus.

And so, after getting his bearings, Gyro set off in search of their thief.

Though, as it turned out, Gyro didn’t have to walk very far. Nor did he have to find Pike. Because it was Pike who found him, falling – quite literally – into Gyro’s lap.

Gyro reacted instantly, holding his arms out to catch his falling party member and then toppling over, his backside hitting the forest floor with an almost audible thump. Pain shot up his spine, but Gyro ignored it, focusing instead on an unconscious Pike.

He gave him a gentle shake, but the thief did not awaken. Worried, Gyro lifted up a hand, biting onto a finger of his glove and ripping it off before pressing his palm to Pike’s forehead. Pike was burning up! So, gathering him into his arms properly, Gyro stood up – once again pushing his own pain to the back of his mind – and hobbled over toward the sound of rushing water in the distance.

Thankfully, the river – the source of the sound – was not too far from them. Something for which Gyro’s aching arms were grateful. He’d carried Pike before, but now the thief was dead weight and as much as Gyro wanted to sling him over his shoulder, he was worried that might be too much for Pike in his afflicted state.

Gyro set Pike down on the soft grass beside the riverbank. The sun was bright today and Pike winced, but otherwise didn’t move. “Hang in there,” Gyro breathed, removing his cloak and placing it over Pike like a blanket. The other shivered, but then stilled. Then Gyro set to work, searching through his belongings for something that would help.

Only to come up emptyhanded.

 

Pike groaned, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter as if that could keep the painfully intense sunlight from shooting through his aching head. He whimpered and burrowed under the cloak around him.

Wait. Cloak?

Daring to peek through his lashes, Pike made an attempt at taking in his surroundings. There were no trees above, so he was in a clearing. And he could hear flowing water – a river, maybe? – which meant he was definitely no longer in the thick of the forest.

But how?

“I can’t believe-” a deep, aggravated voice broke Pike from his thoughts, murky though they were. “I feel like I would have remembered to bring a potion…”

Gyro? That sounded like Gyro!

Pike opened his mouth to greet him, but his throat was so sore. Just attempting the other’s name had Pike feeling like he’d swallowed the paladin’s blazing sword, while activated.

Heh. That sounded dirty.

Pike groaned again, drawing his ears back and curling up onto his side. Ugh, would someone turn off the sun already?

“Pike?” Gyro’s concerned voice was suddenly much closer. “Are you awake?”

And, as much as his body was telling him not to, Pike managed a raspy, “No.”

“Oh, thank the ancients!” There was a weight on Pike’s shoulder – Gyro’s hand maybe? – and fingers at his forehead, brushing his bangs to the side. “You’re still hot-”

Pike snickered at that and then grimaced when his traitorous throat burst into flames.

“-which means your fever hasn’t broken,” Gyro went on. “I’m afraid I don’t have any potions and I’m not all that familiar with medicinal herbs-”

Oh, Gyro, please don’t try making medicine. If the paladin’s cooking skills were anything to go by, he would probably poison him.

“-Block probably knows a good healing spell,” Gyro continued. “I can take you to him. Can you move?”

Pike wet his lips, but didn’t speak. He just shook his head, his vision swimming again. Ugh, what in Aurita had he contracted? Everything hurt and he was dying. Probably.

Gyro was still rambling on when Pike suddenly came to the realization that he was unbelievably thirsty. He turned his head, cracking an eye open and then immediately slamming it shut when the glaring light of the sun reflecting off of the water’s surface nearly blinded him.

He faced Gyro again, or at least where he thought Gyro was, and managed a weak, “Water…”

Gyro stopped talking. There were fingers in Pike’s hair again, smoothing down the side of his face, the pads cool against his heated skin. It felt…nice.

“Water?” Gyro asked and Pike nodded. Of course, actually getting up and over to the river’s edge seemed impossible. But maybe Gyro had – “I’ve got a canteen.”

Yes. Good paladin. Best party member. Pike’s new favorite.

Well, actually Gyro had been Pike’s favorite for a while now, but he was only admitting that because of his illness. He’d forget that when he was well again. Of that, he was certain.

Gyro’s hand disappeared for a moment before coming to rest on Pike’s shoulder. “Can you sit up?”

Yeah, that was a big, fat ‘no,’ good buddy.

Pike fluttered his eyes, trying to focus on Gyro, who was silhouetted by the sun, his headpiece glinting in the light. He mouthed that he could not and Gyro seemed to understand because, a tick later, the paladin’s hand was cradling his head, helping him up.

Again, the forest around them gave a vicious spin and Pike closed his eyes against it. How was he so dizzy? He’d barely moved!

“Here.” There was a press of cool, hard metal against Pike’s lower lip. _The canteen_ , he realized. He opened his mouth, prepared to greedily guzzle every drop. But the moment the liquid hit the back of his throat, he choked, sputtering and spilling water all down his front.

Pike whimpered again, his throat on fire. Life just wasn’t fair. His skin was burning. His throat was burning. Heck, even his tail felt uncomfortably warm under the cloak. All he wanted was some sweet, cool water and he couldn’t even have that.

“Not so fast,” Gyro chastised softly, concern evident in his tone. “Here, let me.”

A moment passed and Pike was tempted to open his eyes again, but just as the thought occurred to him, he froze. Because, apparently, Gyro figured the best way to get Pike to drink was to feed him the water himself. Mouth-to-mouth.

Pike had been hot before, but now he was pretty sure he was melting. He didn’t mind, though. Because the feeling of Gyro’s soft lips against his was soothing and he gratefully opened his mouth, taking whatever the paladin had to give him.

A few more gulps like that and Pike was sure he’d be completely cured.

Gyro pulled back and Pike stared up at him. The other was flushed, his lips wet and shiny, and his eyes dark. Pike gave a weak smirk, throwing out a hoarse, “Gross.”

The paladin’s jaw dropped and Pike laughed, lifting his arm to not-so-gracefully flop a hand against Gyro’s cheek, giving it a few pats.

“No, s’good,” he assured him. “More, please?”

 

Gyro sat stock-still. What had he been thinking?! Yes, Pike was struggling. And yes, he needed to stay hydrated in order to recover. But did that mean Gyro needed to practically kiss him?

Well, there was no ‘practically’ about it. He could use the water as an excuse, but Gyro had enjoyed Pike’s mouth against his. His soft lips, the roughness of the other’s tongue, the little mewl in the back of his throat that turned into a full-blown purr.

And he wanted more.

So, when Pike gazed up at him, his mouth open and his cheeks flushed, quickly correcting his earlier response by telling Gyro that it had been good and asking for another. Well…Gyro was only human, after all.

But Pike was sick and Gyro was clearly taking advantage of him. And that just wouldn’t do. So, after a few more mouthfuls, he set the other back down, using his bag as a pillow and tucking his cloak up under the thief’s chin.

Thankfully, Pike fell asleep quickly, his purrs turning into soft snores. Which left Gyro to think about his actions. Still, as guilty as he felt, he couldn’t say he regretted it. He was not, however, looking forward to talking things over once Pike was awake and back to his senses.

Gyro ran a hand down the length of his face and groaned into his palm. How was he to live with himself after this?

 

Pike had gone to sleep deliciously and comfortably warm. But now, everything was far too hot. He pushed off his blanket, kicking it to the side, and ran a hand through his hair, pushing sweat-damped bangs from his face. Ugh, even his clothes were soaked, sticking to him in the most uncomfortable of ways.

“Hot…” he complained, tugging at his shirt in a weak attempt at pulling it off.

He didn’t even get it untucked.

“Hey.” Gyro was back, his voice soft and soothing. “You should really stay under the cloak.”

“ _No…_ ” Pike whined, flattening his ears. “Clothes…suck…”

Gyro chuckled and Pike blindly swiped at him before giving up and pulling at the scarf around his neck.

“Ge’mme out,” he begged, fighting with the fabric until he flopped onto his back, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He growled low in the back of his throat. He just wanted to be naked. Why was life so hard?

“Your fever’s breaking,” Gyro informed him, his much cooler hand coming to rest on Pike’s forehead. Pike purred at the contact, his own hands flying up to hold Gyro’s still. Oh, that felt amazing… “I don’t have a change of clothes for you…”

So what? Who cared? Pike could just lie there naked. So long as he had Gyro’s cool hands running all over his body, nothing else mattered.

But it was that thought that snapped him out of it, the fog in his mind finally beginning to clear.

Pike quickly went over what had happened. He was sick, check. He fell out of a tree and – some stuff happened? – and he ended up by the river with Gyro.

Yeah, he’d have to ask about that later.

Then what? Okay, so he’d been thirsty and Gyro had… His eyes flew open.

Gyro had kissed him.

Well, not exactly, but… Yeah, Pike could still feel the other’s lips against his own. And he wasn’t about to forget any time soon.

“Are you feeling better?” Gyro asked, unaware of Pike’s epiphany. “Do you want to wash your face?”

Pike still had Gyro’s hand in his. He lowered it to rest in his lap as he stared up at the other man. “Um,” he began. He had to be thoughtful about his wording. He didn’t want to scare the paladin off. He took a deep breath. “You kissed me.”

Yeah, smooth.

Gyro grew silent, his cheeks coloring. “I…” he faltered. “You were… I was…” He swallowed and tugged his hand back slightly, but not with enough force to break free from Pike’s grasp. He looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry.”

Well, Pike should have known. After all, their Holy Knight was so righteous – too righteous, in Pike’s opinion – that he’d probably been regretting it since it happened.

Pike sighed, muttering under his breath, “I’m not.”

 

Gyro wondered if he’d heard that correctly. He’d been so flustered by Pike’s wording. Yes, their lips had touched – among other things – but to have Pike acknowledge his actions as a kiss made it all the more real. What choice did he have other than to apologize for taking advantage of the other?

But what did Pike mean by that?

“You’re…not?” Gyro questioned, hesitant.

Pike sighed again, wetting his lips, and Gyro found his gaze drawn to the pink tip of his tongue. “I’m not sorry you kissed me,” he said and then drew back, his tail coming to curl around his ankles. “If that was a kiss, I mean.”

This was it. Gyro’s chance to deny everything. He’d simply been taking care of an ill party member. That was all. He just had to say the word and they’d never have to speak of it again.

But he didn’t want to deny it. And he didn’t want to forget.

“It didn’t start out that way,” Gyro admitted. “I really was only trying to make sure you drank water.” He flushed, his ears burning. “But then you started purring and-”

“I started purring?!” Pike’s eyes widened, his blush nearly camouflaging the markings on his face. “N-No, I did not,” he objected, but something told Gyro that Pike knew he was wrong. “Oh, wow, that’s so embarrassing.”

Gyro smiled. “It was actually pretty cute.”

“Ah!” Pike covered his ears. “Yeah, let’s just, uh…blame this on whatever this sickness is,” he said and then grabbed Gyro’s cloak, throwing it over his head. “I’m just going to sleep until I’m better and we can forget about the whole purring thing, okay?” said the lump.

Gyro bit back a chuckle. “You don’t like being called cute?” he asked.

“Sorry. Can’t answer,” Pike replied, muffled by the fabric. “I’m asleep.”

“Oh, sorry about that.” Gyro smiled. “But, just in case you can still hear me…” He braced himself. This was easier with Pike hidden away and just as flustered – if not more so – as Gyro. “I’m not actually sorry I kissed you.”

The movement under the cloak stilled, but Pike didn’t answer.

And, before his bout of bravery wore off, Gyro went on. “I wish it had been under different circumstances, but, well, I liked it.” He cleared his throat. “And the purring.”

Pike poked his head out, his ears flicking as he fixed Gyro with a curious, if not a little suspicious gaze. “…really?”

“Really,” Gyro confirmed, moving a bit closer to Pike as the other sat up, the borrowed cloak falling to pool at his waist. “So, like…where do we go from here?”

“Well, I think you should probably rest a bit more,” Gyro said. “Then we’ll set out to find the others and see if Block can-”

“No,” Pike interrupted, placing a hand atop Gyro’s. “I mean, between you and me.”

Gyro bit his lower lip, focusing on the ornate pattern of his armor. What craftsmanship! He should really return to the smith and commend them on the fantastic work they’d—

“Gyro.” Pike’s other hand was on his jaw, tilting his head toward him. “Do you want to try kissing me again?” he asked. “You know, without an excuse?”

Of course he did. And, without a moment’s hesitation, Gyro whispered, “Yes.”

The kisses before had been nice. But this one was even better. Pike was more active now that he was free from the haze of whatever had afflicted him. He swiped his rough tongue against Gyro’s lower lip before nibbling on it, gently biting down and releasing it with a ‘pop.’

“Well, well, Mr. Holy Knight,” Pike breathed when they broke apart. “I say we call that one our official first kiss.”

“Agreed.” Gyro hummed, pressing another chaste kiss to Pike’s lips.

“Yeah, this one’s got me dizzy,” Pike purred and then nearly fell over, bracing himself on Gyro’s chest. “Or…I’m still sick.”

“You should rest,” Gyro urged, cupping Pike’s cheek and gently bumping their foreheads. Pike didn’t even put up a fight as Gyro helped him back down and tucked him in. “I’ll go see if I can find the others. They’re probably looking for us by now.”

He stood up to leave, but stopped when Pike reached out to him, mumbling a sleepy, “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Gyro asked, crouching back down. “Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Not really,” Pike said. “Not anymore.”

“Then…?”

“Will you…” Pike pursed his lips. “I mean, it’s not like you have to or anything. But if you don’t mind.” He sighed. “Would you cuddle with me? Just until I fall asleep?”

Gyro raised his brows, but didn’t deny him. He eased himself down and pulled Pike close, tucking the other’s head under his chin. “Good?” he asked and Pike nodded.

“Thanks,” Pike whispered and then, almost immediately, his breathing slowed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically as he slept.

And Gyro stayed. Because, even though he’d done as he was asked, he didn’t want to leave. Besides, it wouldn’t be too long before the rest of their party found them. And maybe, if he was lucky, he and Pike could sneak in a few more kisses before they did.

He wasn’t happy that Pike had gotten sick. But he was happy that he was the one to find and take care of him.

“…Gyro…” Pike mumbled in his sleep, burrowing closer, his chest beginning to rumble softly.

Yes. He was immensely happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, I love these two~ This was probably the mushiest, fluffiest one for them yet.  
> Oops?
> 
> As always, let me know what you think in the comments or feel free to hit me up on my Voltron sideblog [@bleucheesy](http://bleucheesy.tumblr.com) or on my Twitter [@bySharkGirl](https://twitter.com/bySharkGirl)!


End file.
